


Guide Me Home to Neverland

by RowanAD



Series: Classics Rewritten [3]
Category: Original Work, Peter and Wendy - J. M. Barrie
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, Captain Hook is a he/him lesbian, Evil Peter Pan, F/F, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sort of? He's just a kid who doesn't know any better, Teenage pirates, They're not adults, You don't get context to that.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanAD/pseuds/RowanAD
Summary: You think you know every story ever told about Neverland. But what happened after the Darlings? What happened when everyone grew up and Peter was left alone? What happens when he steals away a new mother, one who doesn’t want anything to do with him?
Relationships: James Hook & Original Female Character(s), James Hook & Peter Pan, James Hook/Original Female Character(s), Lost Boys & Peter Pan (Peter Pan)
Series: Classics Rewritten [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692691
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Elena was sitting in her bedroom nook, the window seat, drawing a sketch of Neverland. Or what she thought it might look like, Michael’s boat hut, and John’s long Indian style house, she couldn’t remember what it was called. The window was open, letting in the cool night air, and she kept falling asleep halfway through and waking up fifteen minutes later.

One such time, she woke to the lights dimmer than they had been when she’d fallen asleep. She looked over and to her surprise, saw a shadow of someone behind her. Shocked, she leapt up from her seat, wobbling uncertainly, as her legs had fallen asleep beneath her during her almost three hours at the window.

The boy was tall. Maybe around sixteen, with mousy brown hair and bright blue eyes. But what was important was that he was floating, and beside him was a bright little light that could only be a fairy. Elena worried she might faint, but figured perhaps she was just asleep again.

“You draw very nice pictures, Wendy,” He said.

“I’m not Wendy,” She replied slowly. “But I’m assuming you’re Peter?”

“Yes, I’m Peter, I’m Peter Pan!” He crowed.

She nodded.

“I thought so.”

“You must come with me to Neverland! The lost boys simply must see your pictures!”

_‘It’s only a dream,’_ she thought, _‘I’ll humor him.’_

“Alright,” she said. “How will you take me to Neverland?”

“Here!” He cheered, grabbing the fairy, who Elena surmised, if this was Peter, must have been Tinker Bell, and patted her so that her dust fell on Elena.

Since she believed it was a dream, and that in dreams you could do anything, Elena was soon pulled into the air by a joyous Peter and stayed aloft quite well. She scooped up her sketchbook and tucked her pencil into the loop of her ponytail and let him take her out the window.

Flying wasn’t as much fun as she thought it would be, but she was very glad not to fall out of the sky. He took her up higher and higher until there was only clouds beneath her and stars above her, and they flew into the second star on the right and straight on till morning. 

Neverland wasn’t exactly as she had drawn it. Her drawing used J.M. Barrie’s _Peter and Wendy_ as reference, and this Neverland had clearly seen quite some time since the Darling’s visit.

The boat hut that had once belonged to Micheal had fallen apart and begun to rot, and John’s wigwam, for that what it was called, Elena could remember now, was in shambles. Wendy’s house of woven leaves in the treetops seemed to be the only thing standing, unless you looked far enough to see the Indian encampment.

“It’s beautiful.” She told Peter, who smiled proudly.

“Of course it is!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her along, and they soared over the shoreline of the island, before Peter pulled her to a stop at some rocks in a lagoon. The mermaids were singing joyfully, and stopped when Peter and Elena arrived.

“Peter!”

“Peter!”

“Peter!”

They all cried to him overlapping each other. He smiled brightly.

“Settle down, settle down!” He urged. “I have found our old friend Wendy, and brought her back again with lovely drawings!”

The mermaids quieted and looked at Elena harshly.

“I’m not Wendy,” She said slowly. “My name is Elena. But these are some of my drawings…” She showed them to the mermaids.

“Pretty…” Some said.

“Pretty ugly,” said others.

“Aren’t I clever to find her?” Peter crowed.

“Oh yes, you’re oh so clever, Peter!” The mermaids praised.

Elena shook her head, rolling her eyes and traversed the treacherous rocks to try to get back to the solid land, as opposed to the slippery stones.

“Where are you going?” Peter asked suddenly, finally having noticed Elena slip away.

“I don’t want my sketchbook to get wet.” She told him.

He flew over and snatched the book from her, stowing it safely in a tree on the bank, before picking her up and dropping her into the water with the mermaids.

“Peter!” She objected.

“Have fun!” He cheered. “I’m going to show your drawings to the lost boys! I’m sure you girls can take care of her!” He flew away and Elena was left flailing in the water, the mermaids doing the best they could to try and pull her under.


	2. Chapter 2

“Help!” She cried. “Help, please! Let me go!”

This isn’t a dream. This couldn’t be a dream. But god, she wished it was a dream, if she could just wake up-

There was a loud sound, like a gunshot, and all the mermaids scattered, and Elena found herself pulled from the water by a gentle yet firm hand.

She shivered as whoever it was wrapped their coat around her and led her to the main coast, silence between them.

“Who are you?” She asked them.

They turned, and in the light of the nearly full moon overhead, she could just make out the person’s bright blue eyes framed by shocks of smooth inky black hair.

The person didn’t answer, leading her to the beach. They pointed down a nearby path.

“Follow that path. When you come to the hollow trees, stop and knock.”

“Wait-”

But the person was already gone. So she followed the path, knocking on the trees to gauge their hollowness, and when she finally heard the ring of hollow, she knocked firmly and up shot Peter.

“Wendy!”

“Elena.” She corrected.

“Right.” He explained to her how the trees worked, and helped her shoot down one.

The room they fell into was spacious and covered in mushrooms. Seated on a bed in the corner that took up much of that side of the room, were four lost boys, all crowded around Elena’s sketchbook.

She took it back from them, ignoring their objections.

“You’re no fun.” Peter pouted. “Wendy wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m not Wendy.” Elena reminded him, but she felt awfully sad. She hated being compared to other people. Her little brother David always compared her to their mother, because as much as she tried, Mrs. Hunt wasn’t always the most motherly mother in the first place. She climbed into the nearest hammock and sighed, still damp and cold, too afraid to keep her sketchbook close, but not wanting to lose it to the hands of the lost boys again. She slipped it inside the leafen pillowcase and tried to sleep. For some reason, just before she was fully out, she felt herself cry.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, they ate some kind of meat Peter had brought home for them, all the while being urged by Peter to eat faster. He clearly had something planned. Finally, they shot out of their trees and took off across the sky.

Peter led them to the pirate ship, and they perched in the air behind the clouds. Peter handed them a sack of stones he had brought and offered one to each of the boys, and then to Elena.

“What are we doing, Peter?” She asked, tossing the stone from one hand to the other.

“We’re going to fight pirates, Wendy.”

“I’m Elena, Peter.”

“Yes, yes, but don’t you see? We’ll call the pirates and when they’ve all come to the deck, we can throw the stones at them!”

“That doesn’t seem very nice.” Elena objected.

“They aren’t nice, Elena. They’re  _ pirates _ .”

Elena wondered what she was meant to do with that information. Peter turned away from her and flew down, causing much ruckus among the pirates, who all called for their captain worriedly.

“Captain, Captain, sir, the flying brat is here!”

“Who you calling a brat?” Peter pelted the nearest man with a stone that hit him in the stomach and made him double over painfully. “Come face me, Hook!”

When Hook, feared adversary of Pan, Captain of great renown, stepped out onto the deck, Elena froze in shock. She recognised his eyes. It had been the one and only Captain Hook who had saved her when Peter had dropped her in with the mermaids. He looked up at Peter with bitterness in those cerulean orbs, and Elena wondered how he could look so cold when that night there had been no malice in his figure ever to be found.

Peter snickered and drew his knife from his belt.

“Will you fight me, Hook?” He sneered.

“No, I will not, Peter.”

Elena was confused. He looked so angry. Why wouldn’t he take the chance to fight?

“Very well, old man. Lost boys!” Peter called.

Elena wondered why Peter took to call Hook an ‘old man’ when he was not so many years the boy’s own senior. It didn’t matter, for at that moment, the lost boys came down from the clouds and began to pelt the pirates with stones. The pirates dashed about the ship and ducked the falling projectiles, but Elena stayed up in the clouds.

“Wendy, come join in the fun!” Peter called to her.

Elena flew to be beside him, but shook her head.

“I won’t. This is mean, Peter.”

“Come on, girl! Don’t be so droll! It’s not fun!”

Elena rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to the Captain. He looked at her with some confusion and another emotion Elena couldn’t place.

“This is Wendy?” He asked. “I thought she left to grow up, Peter.”

“This is Elena! She’ll never grow up!”

“I will if I ever get out of here.” Elena muttered.

Neither Peter nor Hook heard her.

“Never?” Hook mused. “Never is a long time to be a child, Peter.”

There was again an unplaceable look in his eyes, this time bittersweet and sad. Peter huffed.

“Like you would know.” He turned to Elena, face flushed in anger. He looked so young, and Elena wondered how long it had been since someone had challenged him. “Throw the stone!”

“No.” She denied firmly.

“Then I’ll throw you!” He shoved her and she lost control.

Flying is a difficult thing to control, and balance is imperative. When Peter pushed her, Elena felt her balance falter and she went careening down to the ship, knocking down the Captain, landing on top of him.

She got up instantly, backing away. How did you start again? Oh no, the pirates were moving in. The captain took her by the shoulder and turned her to face Peter, who looked very much like he had enjoyed seeing Elena fall.

“Your Wendy is mine now,” The Captain said smoothly.

Peter’s demeanor immediately shifted.

“You can’t do that! That’s not part of the game!”

Elena wondered if he was truly concerned for her safety or if he was simply enraged that Hook wouldn’t play by his rules.

“I believe I just have.” Hook’s lips curled in a victorious smile, but his eyes weren’t in it. He just didn’t look truly proud of what he’d done. He began leading Elena towards his quarters, and the girl found herself following.

“You won’t get away with this, Hook!”


	4. Chapter 4

The captain ushered her inside and closed the door on Peter’s indignant screeches. Elena turned.

“Who are you?” She demanded, “You saved me from the mermaids last night, and now you’re holding me hostage?”

“Calm down.” Hook sighed. “Would you like some pear cordial?”

“I’m seventeen. I can’t have alcohol.”

“Who said there was alcohol in it? We don’t ferment anything.”

“I thought pirates were perpetual rum drinkers.”

The captain snorted.

“That’s a no then?”

“That’s a no.” He repeated. 

He moved toward a slim pitcher of something sweet smelling on top of a small piano. He poured her a glass and extended it to her. She hesitated.

“Go on, it won’t poison you.” He promised.

She gingerly took the glass and took a sip. It was simple sweet pear juice and she was soon finished with it. He smiled, sitting down on the piano bench. His chest seemed to heave and he sighed heavily.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

He smiled, this time less genuine, more… something. Another unplaceable and yet unmistakable gaze.

“You’re kind to worry. Aren’t you worried about all those stories of falling in love with the beast?”

“You’re no beast. You gave me cordial.”

He laughed. His voice was rich and high, warm in a way she hadn’t known a voice like his could be. She stifled a warm rush of her own to her cheeks.

“I suppose I don’t qualify as a monster, what with Pan running around.”

“What is he?” Elena finally asked.

“A child.” Hook replied heavily. “He’s never truly grown up. The fairies made him eternally youthful, and cursed those on the island when he came to suffer the same fate.”

“So none of you age? Is that my you’re my age, but Peter calls you an old man?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Tell me, Elena, correct? You say you’re seventeen. Why would Peter bring you here? You’re on the cusp of growing up.”

She sighed.

“I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. He keeps comparing me to Wendy, ‘Wendy did this, Wendy wouldn’t have done that, stop that Wendy’. I wonder if he can even tell the difference.”

“You look nothing like Wendy.” Hook remarked. “Except that you’re a girl.”

“Not reassuring,” Elena said. “That just proves how delusional he is.”

“Not delusional.” Hook shook his head. “He’s imaginative. You have to remember, he’s still a child. His body only looks a tad older because of his trips to the mainland. It’s the only time he ages, and he doesn’t spend enough time there to have become an adult.”

"What about you? Are you a child?" She asked.

"Hardly. I've long since grown up, Elena."

The way he said her name lit a warmth in her chest, like an old friend calling to you across a crowd and everything stills and you don't quite hear them over the dull roar, but you know they're calling  _ you _ .

"Do you want to grow up, Elena?" He asked her, breaking her from her thoughts and the daydream of melting into that warmth.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Growing up is scary, but necessary, I think. Even if you don't age."

Hook nodded and walked to the window of his cabin, squeezing his arms around his midriff, wincing at some kind of pain.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hook?"

"Please, Hook is Pan's moniker for me. Call me…" He seemed to hesitate. "Call me James."

"Then are you alright, James? You seem to be in pain."

He smiled at her, a weak attempt to assuage her worry. When did she find herself worried? But she was. She didn't like the thought of him in pain. He changed the subject.

"How did Tinker Bell take to you?" He asked.

"Not well. She told Peter to tell me to get lost. I know because he likes to repeat what she says before he contradicts her."

He nodded, chuckling softly. He took a breath that Elena knew was supposed to be deep, but ended up short and choppy.

"You're not well, James."

"I'm alright."

"James-"

"I have things to do, Elena." He cut her off. "Smee will show you to a cabin."

She sighed.

"Fine. Be stubborn. Maybe that can help you."

He sighed as she left, only watching as the door slammed. Elena ran smack into Smee, almost bowling him over, and relayed to him the captain’s message of him showing her to a cabin. He smiled and quickly did, but didn’t linger, claiming he had far too many things to do.

Elena discovered some time after Smee left her in her new quarters that it was hard to stay mad at the captain. She felt like she should, and she knew she could if she tried, but she just didn’t want to. She had harboured a grudge against her father for many years, but building that kind of resentment against Hook, against  _ James _ \- She couldn’t fathom it. How could she stay mad at those precious blue eyes?


	5. Chapter 5

Days passed and Elena found herself and James becoming closer. He listened to her, but he also challenged her in ways she wasn’t fully prepared for. They had many long conversations next to the piano, and many late nights with the crew. She never knew there were so many ways to cook fish, but Starkey was a genius, apparently.

One day, Elena was talking with Smee on the main deck, when James came up, a wince in his walk, and before he had even made it across half the length of the Roger, he collapsed.

"James!" Elena cried as the young man she'd come to see as a friend fell to the deck of the ship.

"Stand back," Smee urged, picking up the captain and carrying him into his quarters.

Elena followed him, and when she was shut out, began banging on the door.

"Let me in Smee! Let me see him! James, James, answer me!"

Finally, after much persistence, about ten minutes of Smee's scolding later, the captain opened the door, wearing a loose shirt and his high waisted breeches.

Elena did not hesitate to wrap her arms around him.

"You scared me!"

"Be careful with his ribs, Miss Lena."

"Ribs?" Elena pulled back, eyes drifting to the captain's chest. "You're a-"

"Step inside my cabin, Elena." He offered. 

"You have explaining to do," She said.

He nodded good naturedly and let her come in. She sat on the chair next to the piano, leaving the bench for Hook.

"Start talking, James."

"Jane."

"What?"

"If you're going to know, my name is Jane."

"You're a woman."

"Astute observation, love."

"Don't. Why would you keep this from me?"

“It was on a need to know basis. You didn’t need to know. It doesn’t change how you see me, does it?”

“Well, no, but-”

He gave her a pointed look, showing his hands as if to say, _‘See?’_ She sighed. 

“So then what do I call you? Are you a woman? Or a man?”

“I’m a woman. You can still say  _ ‘he _ did this,’ or ‘this is  _ his’ _ when referring to me though.”

“Okay, I can do that. But back to your ribs. You have to be careful. You scared me.”

He nodded.

“Of course.”

They lapsed quickly into their familiar banter, and Jane’s hands fluttered over his piano keys as they talked, providing a sort of soft accompaniment to their discussion.

“Jane?” Elena asked, though it was strange to call him that.

“Yes?”

“Could you teach me the piano?”

He smiled and moved aside so there was room for her beside him on the bench. She came over and sat with him, letting his hands rest on top of hers as she plucked out the notes as he told her. She seemed to get it down technically, but when it came to the application against the keys, she couldn’t do it.

“It’s hopeless.”

He chuckled.

“It’s alright.” He assured her. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he caught sight of something in the window, a soft glow on a string.

He got up from his seat and walked to the window, taking down a small compass on a chain.

"What is it, Jane?" Elena asked.

"The fairies gave this to me when they restored my hand. I had become lost in their territory looking for something to aid the healing of what would have been a stump. They replaced my hand and gave me this compass. They promised it would always lead me home. It's a bit ditzy now, it glows when it oughtn't and doesn't when it should," He said, walking over to her, carefully unhooking the chain and gently pulling her hair aside to fasten it at the base of her head so the compass fell softly against her chest.

"Maybe if I give it to you, it will guide you in the right direction."

“Why would it work just for me if it’s broken?”

He shrugged.

“You’re special. Maybe it knows.”

“So it’s animate now?”

He chuckled, outstretching his hand.

“I could always take it back-”

“No way.”

He laughed.

“I didn’t think so.”

She smiled. Everything about James- _Jane_ felt so natural, so right. Her eyes flitted to his lips and she found herself wanting so desperately to lean in when she heard commotion from the deck. She ran out and saw Pan flying around with the lost boys.

“Give her back, you nasty pirates!” One lost boy cried.

“Peter, stop!” She cried, walking out into the open and taking a hit from one lost boy’s slingshot that was meant to hit Smee.

“Wendy! We’ve come to rescue you!”

“I don’t need rescuing, Peter,” Elena said. She clutched the chain of Jane’s compass and wished he was beside her.

“Of course you do! You were kidnapped! Those awful pirates made you think like them!”

“Peter-”

She didn’t get to finish, because Peter flew down and scooped her up, carrying her into the air.

“No, no, no-” She cried, “Put me down, Peter! I don’t want to leave!”

“Yes you do,” Peter said brightly. “C’mon boys!”

Elena didn’t dare struggle, she didn’t have enough pixie dust on her to fly, and if Peter dropped her, it would be a long way down.

“Lena!”

Elena looked back with unbidden, unwanted tears in her eyes, catching a glimpse of Hook on the deck, bent over at the waist, vainly reaching out as if their hands could touch if they just reached far enough.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter carried her back to the home under the ground and Elena smacked him as soon as he put her down.

“Why’d you do that?!” He cried, affronted.

“I want to go back!”

“You can’t! You have to stay and be our mother!”

“I’m not your mother! I’m not Wendy!”

“Come on!”

“ _ No! _ ”

Peter grabbed her arm and stuffed her down the nearest tree, shooting her down into his home. She hit the ground with an unceremonious thud, and Peter and the lost boys soon followed.

“See? You’re home now! You’ll be our mother.” Peter said firmly.

Elena went over and laid in her hammock, checking if her sketchbook was still there, delighted when she found it untouched. None of the lost boys approached her, and even Peter stopped bothering her after a while.

Late that night, after the others had all gone to sleep, Elena got up from her hammock, the room dark, not even lit from the brightness of Tinker Bell, whose light went out as she slept. She tucked her sketchbook into a bag she’d stolen from where it’d hung on the wall to carry it and crept towards the tree openings.

“Where are you going?”

It was one of the lost boys. He was young, maybe only five or six. He had a small freckled face and shaggy light brown hair and he reminded her so painfully of David she stopped.

“I’m going out,” she said vaguely.

“Are you going home?” He asked.

“I’m going to try.” She nodded, fingers running over the chain of Jane’s compass around her neck.

“Will you take me home?” He begged, crawling out of the bed and toddling over to her. She had once been told in a writing assignment that five year olds do  _ not _ toddle, but this one did. He toddled over on his stubby little legs- maybe he was younger than she thought. He hugged her legs and whined.

“Take me with you. I wanna to go home.”

She looked into his soft little emerald eyes and pet his head.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever go home.” She admitted, which broke her heart seeing how his eyes fell, “But I’m going to work on it. And you can help me.”

The boy’s eyes lit up again and he hugged her tighter.

“C’mon,” she urged, “Up the trees.”

He quickly shot up one of the openings, but just as he did, she felt a hand on her arm.

“What are you doing?”

It was Peter. She pulled her arm away.

“I’m leaving, Peter.”

“Where are you going? Why are you going? Why are you taking Toodles?”

Elena knew Toodles was probably not the little boy’s name, but she wondered if the child even remembered.

“I want to grow up, Peter,” she said.

“You can’t grow up!” His voice was filled with anger. “Is this Hook? Did he do this? Why do you want to grow up and be like him? A boring, unfun, mean, cranky-”

“He’s not like that, Peter!”

“You want to be like him? Fine! Be like him! Be a pirate! Be a villain!”

Peter drew his knife and held it in an ‘en garde’ manner. She reached for the nearest weapon, but he sliced at her. Elena drew her hand back just fast enough that when he swiped the blade, it cut her, drawing blood from her wrist, but didn’t do what he had clearly wanted.

He had tried to cut off her hand.

She knew the story from Jane, how he had told of the day Pan cut off his hand. She almost wouldn’t have believed it if it weren’t for the thin scar she had felt beneath her own fingers, the pain she’d seen in Jane’s eyes. How badly she’d wanted to take it away. But she couldn’t think of that now. She had to run.

She turned and fled. When she got out of the home underground- though it had never been a home to her- she woke Toodles, who seemed to have fallen asleep again waiting, urging him to follow her quickly, in case Pan was mad enough to follow. The little boy hurried after her as she made her way to the beach, ignoring how warm the charm around her neck seemed to get. Her focus was clear; get to Jane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really nervous about posting this chapter, because I think it's badly written and that I took Peter out of character. I would really appreciate feedback and constructive critique! Thank so much for reading! I also changed the title, in case you noticed, and I'm not solid on that either, so it might change again- ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	7. Chapter 7

She made it to the shore and called as loudly as she could to the boat in the bay.

“Smee! Starkey! _Jane_!”

Lights aboard the ship flickered on, the candles and lanterns coming to the edge as a rowboat came out towards them. Elena stepped into the water and waded even as far up to her waist, ignoring the cold.

“Wendy mother!” Toodles called. “The pirates are coming!”

“I know.” She told him. “It’s okay, I promise.”

“Wendy mother, you’re bleeding!”

“I _know_ , Toodles.”

The rowboat came up alongside Elena and the captain pulled her into it, wrapping his arms around her.

“Sweet Neptune. I was so scared, Lena.”

“Wendy mother!”

“I’m coming, Toodles.”

Ignoring the pain in her wrist, Elena took the oars from Jane and rowed closer to shore, letting Toodles climb into the boat. From there, they rowed back to the Jolly Roger, and it was only then, under the light of so many lanterns, did Jane see the wound.

“Lena, your hand!”

“I’m fine, Jane.”

“No, you’re not, what did you catch on, that’s deep-”

“I didn’t catch on anything-”

“Elena, who-”

“Peter.” She cut him off. “Peter did it.”

The captain growled. 

“He _didn’t_.”

“Not in front of the child, Jane.”

Jane looked down at the boy who had fallen asleep against Smee and sighed.

“Smee, old friend, will you put him to bed in Elena’s room? She can stay with me tonight.”

The boy nodded and scooped up the child, who happily clung to him like a koala as he carried the child below deck. Jane led Elena into his cabin and bolted the door behind them.

“Sit on the bed.”

“Jane-”

“It wasn’t a request, Elena.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little hypocritical? I try to get you to stop binding, to take care of your ribs, you wouldn’t listen- You know you could kill yourself if one of them punctured your lungs!”

The captain didn’t turn around.

“I’m aware. But you were _attacked_ . This wasn’t something you could control, so _sit_ on the bed and I’ll come wrap your wrist.”

Elena reluctantly sat down and let him clean, stitch, and wrap the wound. Jane muttered and fussed the whole time, swearing vengeance on Pan. Elena lifted his chin with her right hand and guided him to meet her eyes.

“He’s just a child, Jane. He doesn’t understand. We can’t retaliate. Not like this.”

Jane sighed.

“Did I tell you how I came to Neverland, Elena?” He asked softly.

“No. It was always too hard for you to talk about,” she said, “I could always tell it hurt, so I didn’t ask.”

“Elena, when I was ten years old, the town I lived in was burned to the ground.”

She drew in a sharp breath. His eyes were sad, but somehow detached, as if the sadness wasn’t quite as strong now as it had once been.

“I ran away from the wreckage, taking with me the only survivors I could find. Smee and Starkey. We stowed away on a ship and one day we ended up here. The captain never told us how we got here, and we never asked why we didn’t leave. There were no ports, no trade, we just stayed here. Stagnant.”

Elena leaned in, listening intently.

“Then came Peter. How he got here, I always wanted to ask. He said he ran away, but I didn’t know how he could have made it here, since I didn’t know how I myself had made it here. He played well with the fairies and we all liked him. Until he began to pick off our crew for fun.”

“What?”

“He didn’t understand, Elena.” His tone turned a mocking edge to it, throwing her words back in her face. “He was only a child. He’d heard stories of the so called ‘brave’ men who killed pirates. He wanted to be brave, even if he wasn’t a man. He killed off our captain and over half the crew. Finally it was me and Starkey, Smee and a handful of cabin boys.”

“Jane, I-” She didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t want retribution only for you, Elena. Don’t flatter yourself.”

She scoffed.

“I wasn’t-”

“You aren’t as grown as you like to think you are.”

The words felt like acid, though Elena wasn’t sure if she was the only one feeling the burn.

“What would you know about growing up?”

She stood up and walked towards the door.

“Elena-” He grabbed her arm.

In a reflex, one that had been too slow to stop Pan, she spun on her heel and slapped Hook across the face with her open hand. She felt his hand leave her forearm and watched, horrified at her own act as he backed up into the piano bench.

“Jane-”

“If you think you’re the first person to hit me, you’d be wrong.”

“Jane, I didn’t mean to-”

“I know.”

She never had been able to master reading the looks in his eyes.

“Are you-”

“Mad? A little. You hit me. I never liked being hit.”

“I’m-”

“I know you’re sorry. But you’ve been through a lot tonight. Best sleep it off.” 

He offered her the bed and she didn’t know what to say. She stammered, and he just chuckled softly.

“Go to sleep, Elena.”

He left her alone. She laid in his bed all night, wide awake. It was warm, and the sheets were soft. She recognized some of the fabric as the same as the ones in her room. Had he sacrificed some of his own warmth for her? The next morning, while not rested, but at the least awake, she got up and went out to the main deck.


	8. Chapter 8

Jane was already out and about, and Toodles was watching him intently. She came over and patted the little boy's head.

"Hi Toodles," she said softly, not wanting to disturb the hustle and bustle of the ship.

"Hello Wendy mother."

"Toodles, I'm not Wendy, my name is Elena."

"Leyna mother," He said.

"Sure." Elena sighed. She wasn't going to bother fighting with him. He was a child. It didn't really matter that much.

She watched the crew go about their business, playing with Toodles and Smee. When the little boy wandered off to grab a bite from the galley, Smee turned to her.

“Jane didn’t sleep last night,” He said slowly.

“Neither did I.”

“You should talk to him.” Smee urged.

“What would I say? I already apologised.”

“He doesn’t want an apology, Elena.”

She was quiet.

“Smee?”

“Yes?”

“He said I wasn’t the first person to hit him. It didn’t sound like he just meant Pan. Who-”

“That’s not for me to say, Miss Lena.”

“Smee-”

“Ask him. I’m going to go find the child. Perhaps now would be a good time for you to talk to the Captain.”

Elena sighed. She watched Jane flit about, looking dead on his feet, before disappearing into his quarters. She walked over and knocked gently.

“Enter.” He called.

She turned the knob and came into the room, his back to her. He turned.

“Oh. Elena.”

“Jane.”

“Do you need something?” He asked, eyes so tired, face gaunt.

She swallowed. Not now, not like this.

“Do you?”

He chuckled.

“Starkey rat me out, or are you just that intuitive?”

“You’ve looked dead on your feet all morning.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “What is it you think I need?”

She took a small step closer and he tensed. It was so miniscule, such a small movement, she might not have noticed it her first day on the Roger, but now, staring so intently, she saw it in acute detail, as if in slow motion. He tensed, muscles going tight. She sighed.

“I won’t hit you again, Jane.”

He nodded.

“I know.”

“You tensed.” She pointed out.

His mouth twitched.

“Did I?”

“Jane.”

“Elena.”

She moved to the cupboard, and took out the jug of pear cordial she knew he kept there. She poured him a glass and extended it to him. She was making a peace offering, but he would have to come get it. He hesitated a minute or two, but she didn’t falter. He gently took the glass and she smiled.

“Don’t worry. It won’t poison you.”

He chuckled, eyes alight again, less of whatever fearful grip had been squeezing at his conscious as he detensed. He sipped the cordial, and offered her a bit to have herself. She stepped closer, and when he didn’t tense up again, she came up to be beside him, sipping from the other side of the cup. He smirked.

“Too afraid of an indirect kiss?” He chuckled.

She set the cordial down and snaked her arm around to the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips. The kiss was soft, Jane’s surprise melting away as Elena took the lead. When they pulled away, she looked into his eyes, jade and sapphire gazes locking together.

“Never.” She teased.

He snorted.

“Oh that’s such a you thing to say.” He laughed. Her arms remained around his neck and he chuckled. “May I have back the freedom to move my faculties?”

She let him go with her own soft chuckle.

“For now.”

“Oh?” He raised a brow. “So you plan to do that again?”

“Maybe.” She smiled.

The door opened and Smee came in, making the two women aware of exactly how close together they were. It was Jane who stepped back.

“What is it Smee, and why didn’t you knock?”

“My apologies Captain, but I think you should see this.”


	9. Chapter 9

Jane and Elena followed Smee out to the deck and saw a horde of fairies flitting about the ship.

“What is all this?” Hook called.

A light blue fairy flew down and circled Elena a few times, coating her in pixie dust. She started to rise off the floor and Jane caught her by the hand, pulling her down.

One mauve male fairy floated over and repeated it with Jane, making him rise too. The crew was held at bay by about a dozen other fairies of various shades of mauve, blue, and gold. Elena helped Hook get used to flying and followed the fairies to the peak of Neverland’s highest mountain, where the fairies let them land. One tugged at the chain of Elena’s compass chain and she took it out from under her shirt. 

It’s a very rare occurrence for a fairy to condescend to using human language, but this one did. Before they departed, the fairies explained that the necklace could be used to take them home if Elena held it up and believed it would take them where they needed to go.

Elena looked at Jane and took a deep breath.

“Well?” She looked at him intently. “Should we?”

Hook looked longingly down at the bay, where he had left his crew, his family.

“I don’t know, Elena…”

“You don’t believe it’ll work?”

“I do.” He sighed. “That’s the problem. I don’t know if I could leave them. Smee, Starkey, the boys, they’re my family, Elena.”

“Then what about me? Would you let me go?”

“If that’s what you wanted.”

“I want you to come with me.”

He smiled sadly.

“I don’t think so, Lena.”

Elena let go of his hand, when she’d taken it, she didn’t know. She stepped back and held the compass aloft. A bright blue light shone from the compass, and everything blew about in a whirlwind of pixie dust.


	10. Chapter 10

The light faded and Elena looked around, still as a statue, still holding the compass aloft. They were still on the peak, she could still see the Roger in the distant bay.

“Why didn’t work?” She asked, shocked. “I-I believed it would work, I did, I believed in it-”

“Elena-”

“No, Jane, it was supposed to-”

“ _ Elena. _ ” He stopped her.

She turned and hugged him, eyes wet with a feeling of confusion and betrayal.

“It didn’t work…”

“I know, love.”

He pulled back enough to look her in the eyes, and wiped her cheeks clear of the few scattered tears that had fallen. Her necklace glowed brightly and he sighed, reaching for it. When his fingers brushed the chain, the glow turned sky blue and he pulled back. The revelation hit him over the head like a brick.

“Elena.” He said softly.

“What?” Her voice was soft.

“Elena, it didn’t work because I think you might already be at home.”

“What?”

“Elena, the crew is my home. I think it didn’t take you anywhere because you’d found yours.”

“But my… I should’ve…” She muttered.

“When was the last time you were homesick, Elena?”

She blinked in surprise.

“I-” She couldn’t remember. It had been so long.

“You found a new home, Elena.”

“You.”

“If you’ll have me.”

She smiled. She kissed him. She woke up.

“Jane?” She looked around her dimly lit bedroom, eyes welling up with tears. “No, no, no, no, Jane!” She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed. “ _ Jane _ …”

Many years later, after several years of therapy and lots of writing, she was seated in the campus library of her college of choice, taking a literature major, already halfway through an edited version of the chicken scratch she’d hastily written down to remember the best dream of her life. She was listening to music, hunched over her computer, working on the transcript when someone tapped her shoulder gently.

She turned, and was met with gorgeous blue eyes and a familiar face.

“I’m James Bent,” He said to her. “I know this is weird, but feel like I know you.”

“You do.” Elena smiled, eyes almost filling with tears. “It’s nice to see you again, Jane.”

His eyes widened and cleared, as if some fog had fled his figure.

“Elena.”

Under her blouse, a simple compass glowed.


End file.
